No matter where you walked, the Ash was falling. It became increasing necessary to wear mask to walk outside. You could see the smoke from Chimney Tops II, the winds were getting increasingly faster, picking up speed , hot spots and small fires were beginning to pop up all over. Evacuation should have already happened, when it finally did come, it was far too late for way too many.

Was it a failed Emergency Alert system, or was it simply a disaster that no one expected to get that big, that fast? Regardless, the devastation left behind, the body count that grows each day, the homes and businesses lost....could anything have saved them? In hindsight, I am sure officials would have evacuated hours earlier had they have known what was truly in store. I think that residents should have probably sensed what was coming when the smoke got to be so thick , they should have left on their own. It is now what it is, and now, we tell the story, and we recover.

Here is a video that will require tissues. I was given express permission by it's owner to use this and this may not be used by anyone else without permission. You are welcome to share my post to share the video.

Video I made as a tribute to the many men and women that worked tirelessly in the efforts of saving the beautiful mountains we call home. #PrayForGatlinburgPosted by Heather Burris on Thursday, 1 December 2016

We all have fond memories of the Smoky Mountains. If, like me, you live in the area, you never take those mountains for granted. You wake up each morning, look outside and see those beautiful Mountains in the distance and think, wow, what a wonderful thing to wake up to each day.

The day I looked out and saw smoke, and more smoke. I had a feeling that something bad was going to happen. I wasn't necessarily thinking about the Mountains, but it was just a feeling of doom all day.

As the day went on Monday, we all watched the news, hearing fire updates that although sounded ominous, they never sounded horribly urgent until the day got later and the smoke got thick, the fire started burning hard and fast, jumping the fire breaks, the winds carrying the embers starting new fires, the town slowly emptying, then the evacuations began. Long before everyone could be evacuated, homes were burning, people were tripping over each other trying to get off the Mountain, picking up strangers along the roads who were running for safety after vehicles had burned.

" The flames are across the street, what should we do?" This is the last words Michael Reed heard his wife speak. He told her to call 911 and get her and their 2 daughters Lilly and Chloe out of the house as fast as possible. He and his son were on their way already but were stuck in traffic. By the time he reached his home hours later, it was home, burned to the ground, but a lone teddy bear la in the road, so eh was sure his wife and daughters had made it to safety.

Confusion, Chaos, Shelter after shelter, no one had seen his family. All night and all the next day, he searched, friends and family went to shelter after shelter, they even snuck back in to Gatlinburg after being told not too, he was desperate to find his family, yet still nothing. His story captured the heart of millions all over the world who prayed for his wife and daughters to be found safe, but that was not to be. Several days later, they were found in a cabin a couple of miles from their home, deceased.

Michael grieved, his son grieved, family and friends grieved and with them, millions around the world grieved as well. They felt the pain for him, for me personally, an outsider looking in, who had followed and prayed right along with everyone else in our little part of East Tennessee..I cried. I cried, and I cried some more. Even though I knew had they have been safe, they would have been found by now, it did not make it any less sad to knwo that two precious children died, but they died with their mother doing everything she could to save them. They died with their mother beside them.

This isn't the only story like this one. We have grandmothers, parents, a Reverend and more who have perished in the largest fire in over 100 years of Tennessee History.

So , that takes us back to what could have been done to prevent this. Could this have been prevented , the deaths, with a better alert system? Would an earlier evacuation have made a difference? I am sure that would have, but hindsight is 20/20. Did they have any idea that those winds would cause the fires to burn this fast ? When did they know and when were they told? I have heard so many stories on the when, the how, the why, so here, in this series, you are not only going to get a first hand look at the devastation, hear stories from those who were on the front lines, stories from those who lost homes, loved ones, jobs, and even pets.

Firefighters rushed from call to call, one firefighter even drove past his own home as it was up in flames, and could not stop and save it because he was rushing to another call to save a life. Peter Thompson who is a Firefighter and Paramedic had his Wife & 2 daughters had evacuated earlier in the day but this Firefighter and his family lost everything except 3 small Precious Moments figurines of their daughters. What is even more sad, his parents also lost their home and everything in it, leaving this extended large family now with no where to go and nothing left. They say they will rebuild, they will continue to stay and call Gatlinburg their home again one day, but can you imagine how this man felt watching his house up in flames while on the to another call?

I am sure by now many of you are hearing crazy stories, right? Like the fact that there are many more dead bodies but that because they have not been identified they are not releasing them in the true body count. One such story was that the First Responders watched a baby burn and I can assure you that that is NOT true, no First Responder or even regular citizen, would have stood by and watched a baby or child burn. I am sure the body count will rise, and as I get factual information it will be included in this series. I want to bring you stories that are factual, stories that show you the true devastation here in East Tennessee.

Please, please do not send your donations ot the Red Cross, there are many other ways for you to donate where 100 % will go to these victims. The Red Cross so far has not helped anyone with housing, food or anything other than what was donated, even though they have raised more money than you can imagine, they say their is no money raised to help with housing for these people. They are not helping with hotel rooms, they simply are refusing any donations of anything other than money even though Gatlinburg and Sevierville are begging for more donations. Donate through Dolly's fund, or direct to Gatlinburg or the National Park Service.

I have 19 families with children who currently lost everything or their families lost their jobs due to their place of business being burned down and not reopening for month ( We also confirmed that these businesses will not be paying the employees or employing them else-ware, we wanted to make sure the need was true and real) and need adopted for Christmas that I will be delivering on Dec 22nd. If you would like to adopt one of those families, I can give you my address to send the items too and I can give you all of their details. I hate to say this, but I am focusing more on the true Mountain folks, not the ones who had second homes or vacation homes or who lives in million dollar houses, bu the ones who went to work everyday, who were poor mountain people or middle class like the rest of us. I want to help those families. If you would like to adopt a family for Christmas by making a monetary donation ( see above if you would like to purchase items yourself) , I can provide you with a receipt of what is purchased, the family it is purchased for and pictures once we drop the items off to the families. The families also are aware of our help for Christmas and are counting on us. We are the only ones helping these 19 families for Christmas. We have also let other agencies know that we have these 19 families we are collecting for so that they are not added to any other list unless we cannot provide for them.

As it sit here in my warm home, with my cute Christmas LuLaRoe leggings and my Red Sweater and Boots which I was so excited to wear today on Dec 1, to officially get me in the Holiday Spirit, plus I knew I would look cute and be comfortable too, working on my Holiday Gift guide, setting my Light Box up just right to get just the perfect pictures, , which I am so very passionate about, the words were just not flowing like normal. I could not understand why the words were stuck somewhere in this ever moving mind of mine. Had I lost my mojo to write? Was this what they call Writer's Block? It couldn't be, this literally had to go live tonight with 5 products per day added over the next 10 days.

Then I realized. I had not lost my ability to write, but right now my ability to write was based on my passion on what I was writing. What I was passionate about was what my community was going through right now. East Tennessee has been hit with devastation like we have not experienced in over 100 years. Longer than anyone reading this has lived would be my guess. I knew right then, that what I needed, what I had to write about, to get the words flowing, was the thing , the disasters, that were consuming me since late Sunday night.

You see, Sunday a few small Wildfires had popped up, but they were not reporting them as anything major, or any immediate danger to anyone really. It was under control at that point. I told my husband that I had a feeling that something bad was going to happen, something I just could not wrap my thoughts around. Was it something to do with my home-life I wondered? I didn't have that kind of feeling though, it was more of a doom feeling. A feeling that something major was going to happen. My husband said my imagination was running wild on me and made a few jokes about the "Stucco" in my brain ( What we jokingly refer to the concrete they built in my brain to replace the bone they had to remove to safely remove as much of my Brain Tumor as they could)

Monday morning I woke up, the day started off as crazy as any typical Monday except if possible, even more hectic than normal. Kids not getting up when told, racing out the door to take one kid to school so they were both not late, then running back to get the other one , who would be late. I had not turned on the news, or barely even had a chance to scroll Facebook like I normally do each morning with my morning Cup of Joe. After being up almost 4 hours at 9:30 am, I finally had a chance to grab my 3rd cup of Coffee and sit down with the sole purpose of seeing what was going on in the world.

I saw Crime, I saw Murder, I saw Fire...lots of fire..but still not anything yet that anyone expected to end like it has. So my next post will be a long one ( Other than my Holiday Gift Guide) because I am going to walk you all through this horrible tragedy that has struck East Tennessee since Monday.

I am sure you have seen pictures, heard numerous News Reports, saw thousands of Facebook post and even heard a few people who were directly affected, talking about the devastation and the loss of their dreams. What you are going to hear and see from me, will be actual events as time passed. You will see pictures from Residents who lost everything. Business that have stood throughout the years that were staples of the Community serving people for decades. You will see two little girls and their Mother, whom no one has spoken to since 8:30 pm Monday night and a Father and brother who are beyond devastated and still praying for a miracle. A child's Teddy Bear in the road, which gave them hope that they escaped from the house, yet no other clues, no sightings, only words or prayer and sympathy from millions around the world.

You will see how an entire State has come together to live up to it's name as "The Volunteer State" .

This won't be your typical News report, nor will it be any one specific story. You may see and hear things here that you heard bits and pieces of from others. You may see pictures of a special place that you remembered from a long ago trip to our Great Mountains. You will hear first hand from those who no longer have a job only 3 weeks before Christmas. You will hear stories from people, good down home Mountain People who lived in their homes for many years that was passed down through generations, and others who were already living paycheck to paycheck to keep their families afloat.

So when it's ready, make sure you have a Pot of Coffee on, a Mug of Cocoa, a Soda, and snacks at hand, and don't forget the tissues, because you are going to need them. This story will take you in to the depths of the heart of Gatlinburg and The Great Smoky Mountains and our people and how their lives have been forever affected.

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Please keep in mind, this Holiday Gift Guide will not be live fully with brand names and full details and pictures until Dec 1, 2016 as well as the HGG Giveaway the same day.

Amazing foot Cushion!

Do you have someone on your list that is hard to buy for? Someone you just cannot purchase another pair of house-shoes or food basket for? Then this is the perfect gift for you to give them.

It's been a long day, you want to put your feet up and relax. What you need is this amazing cushion. I have back issues, hip issues, and old people kind of issues, and even if I didn't, this would still be what I gravitate toward at the end of every day, or even anytime I just want to relax. !

This is the perfect idea for elevating your feet, it literally feels like your feet are on a cloud.

Who do you know on your gift list that could use this? I know several on mine that would find this not only a great git but an actual useful one. We all know how tiresome a long day of working can be, so we all know someone who complains about how they just want to put their feet up and relax.

You can find this on Amazon HERE

Awesome Eye Mask

This Eye Mask is great. I always have issues sleeping when any amount of light starts coming in. I have tried blackout curtains but they are just not my thing.

These are super soft and so easy to use. You can fold them up in the pouch and take them with you anywhere you need to go. They are great fro everyday use, travel ( especially on a plane , where we all know you see much more than we want to see at times) Hotels, Hospitals and more.

The material on these will not aggravate your skin at all. It is like taking the softest material ou can find and rubbing it on your skin. These are perfect for the price and would make a great gift for Teachers, Co-workers, Teenagers, or anyone on your list this year, even men!

I have several pair of these ot give away, so take a look at the Holiday Giveaway to make sure you get entered to win!

You can find these on Amaozn HERE

Cast Iron Pizza Pan

I don't know about you, but Cast Iron is a staple in my home, as is Pizza, so pizza plus Cast Iron has to be perfect, right? Right! he side handles on this pan are one thing that makes this pan a great pan. It far surpasses any other round pan or pizza pan you have in your cabinets.

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Heavy Duty but not too heavy. This would make the perfect gift for almost anyone on your Gift list this year.

Bachelor? Busy Mom? Single Dad? Stay at Home Parent? Grandma? Teacher? You name it, they would love this. My son is a culinary student and loves this pan for so many things, not just pizza. He has been using it for steak and many other things, seasoning it and using it over and over again as a daily pan.

Count this Cast Iron in on your gift list a few times and you won't go wrong! I have two of theses to give away this season to 2 lucky readers so make sure you enter on the HGG Giveaway page!

You can Purchase this amazing Cast Iron Pizza Pan HERE

Tie Rack

I know any of the Men in my life would surely enjoy this gift. This Tie Rack holds Ties or Belts and is motorized and you just let it spin around while you choose which one you need for the day. This would be perfect fro the professional Man in your life, a Teacher, Pastor or anyone who wears Ties or Belts. I know My Husband has a ton or both and would love this so that he could easily make his choice.

This Tie Rack is not only affordable, but ingenious and really would be a great gift.

This holds Ties or Belts, so plenty of room for both on here.

No need to overthink what to get Dad this year!

Why get the Men in your life another Tie when you can get them a Tie rack so they can actually organize all those ties they already have?

I have 2 of these to give away , so make sure to visit the HGG Giveaway page to get your Entries in!

I know Fitness and fun in the same statement You probably think I am crazy. Well I am ,but not for this . I have been on a healthy journey for a little over a year now. I have tried may different activities to loose weight. By far my favorite is Zumba. I get an incredible work out and burn many calories yet it is so fun. I don't feel like I am working out until its over. To me it feels like dance class with a little extra. Great music amazing atmosphere and incredible community family feel. Of course each group you find will be a bit different and the instructors can make or break a class. So look around locally and find a good fit for you. I have found mine at Skateland west in Westland Michigan. This zumba group is made up of the most incredible people. You have the instructors a husband and wife team that come up with amazing choreography, that burn a ton of calories. If you are new or even veteran don't worry about the choreography as long as you are moving you are burning calories. They say this every class you will learn don't worry. These instructors are always there before and after question no problem .They are friendly community oriented and fun, they even throw in tone it up tuesday and themed parties to mix it up. Theme parties are a blast we did 80's and are about to do a tutu party.
At skate land Len one of the instructors even does a blast class on Thursdays . That class is a real tough one ,but so good. You earn your muscles with planks,weights,etc. Going to these classes has been fun ,but also very rewarding. They have been a huge part of my journey and my on going success. So far I am down 40 pounds and have strength and endurance I never knew I could have. These classes has helped so much I am a better runner because of it and feel like a much better me. For all of you if you want to join me one night come on out. pagehttp://www.skatelandwestmi.com/zumbasched/#new-page For those of you not local I highly recommend searching your area for a zumba class I can't say enough how I enjoy what it has done for me . I can say I love this exercise never thought I would say that.

How much did you LOVE the Air Bud and Air Buddies movies? I, for one always adored them as did my kids and they still do even though they are not really what we as a society would call "kids" anymore, though they are my children.

You all know my history with that mighty mass of destruction in my Brain that attempted to destroy me these past 3 years ( Yes, Cancer sucks..no matter what kind it is) , so now we are going to go back in time to a era where everything was Magical , where each new adventure was viewed through the eyes of a child.

Some of us remember a few of the first Famous Dogs that stole the hearts of children and adults alike when they first appeared on T.V. and the Big Screen. Lassie, Benji and who can forget, "Ole Yeller" as he was better known here in the South. I remember naming my first dog Benji who looked exactly like Benji from the show. Of course we had all kinds of Cartoon animals, but they just were not the same as the living, breathing, tail wagging creatures known as man's best friend.

Then along came Air Bud, who could play basketball better than most 6 foot tall humans could. Every child wanted their very own " Air Bud" as a best friend. I know my children sure did. My children adored and still adore, the Air Bud movies. A long time ago in a land far away, when things were just not so great, I was trying to find that happy medium to show my kids that all was still right in the world, that just because Mommy & Daddy no longer lived together didn't mean that we loved them any less. It was also hard to explain to them why Mommy no longer lived in a house and we no longer could do some of the fun yet simple things like movies or bowling, that we had previously been able to do.

We are all grown up here, so I won't sugarcoat. Life was tough. I had married too young, and though I had graduated high school and managed some college, eventually raising a family came first and college was no longer and option. So when you find yourself a young twenty something single,divorced mom with 3 small children and no Education other than high school and what you have soaked up in books you read, life is tough. Jobs are minimal, food is scarce and extra's are nonexistent. Finding myself in that situation, working 3 jobs to try to hang on, everything that made my kids smile was exactly what I was looking for in life. That's where Air Bud comes in. I bet you are thinking, okay, what can a Dog in a movie really have to do with being a single mom ?

My kids LOVED Air Bud. They had seen it once already several months prior to my divorce, so when it came out on video, I rented it again on one of the rare nights I was able to be home snuggled up in bed with all 3 kids for our Movie date night. It wasn't known as our Movie date night at that time, but it became that as time went on. Watching Air Bud again that night with my kids became magical. It was as if my children had never watched the movie previously and they had no idea what was coming up next in the plot. Squeezed in tight in my full size bed with 3 kids, all snuggled and cuddled up, popcorn and sippy cups of milk, with this basketball playing dog, brought those smiles back to my kids faces and the light back in their eyes. Some may say it was spending time with me that caused that reaction, and I am sure it was, but that night was a turning point for my little family. I realized we were going to be okay. My kids could laugh again, they could smile and eat popcorn and fight over who was going to sleep closer to Mommy that night. Yes, we all 4 slept snug as bugs in a rug after watching Air Bud once and halfway through a second time.

It wasn't until months later that I realized that the Air Bud night became a special thing for my kids. We decided to watch the second Air Bud Movie which had already been released as well on VHS and we had the same experience as the first. We had other movie nights, but about once very 5-6 weeks, we had Air Bud Movie Date nights, and they were just special. When I could see my kids were really needing Mommy time, or they had a rough day or adjustment was still rearing it's head, it would call for Air Bud. Sure we started doing our movie date nights often and we continued to laugh and smile and have popcorn fights, but then one day, my kids saw a commercial. The new Air Bud Movie was coming out. My kids were all excited!! We had not once been to the movie theater since my divorce, and they didn't ask to go then. Kids are very instinctive you know. They were just over the moon excited and wanted to know that as soon as it came on video, we could rent it and watch it together again. When we picked out our movie to watch the next week for Movie date night, all they could talk about was how much they wished the new Air Bud movie was out so we could watch it like we used to watch the other one. Yes, that one night became like " we used to". The

. When that movie was released on VHS, my kids wanted no other movie, even though there were others we could have chosen they had yet to see, they only wanted that one. On the way home from the video store, all they talked about once again was " like we used too with the other one". It hit me then, that as much as they love the Air Bud movies, and they did, they loved them even more when we watched them at home, in our tiny 2 bedroom apartment, all snuggled up in bed together. They had brought meaning to our little family movie nights. They were our family movie nights.

Imagine my surprise that from that point forward, all the new Air Bud movies were released directly to video instead of in theaters. Through the years as my kids got older and more Air Bud movies were released, no matter what activity they were in to or what job I was working, the day a new Air Bud movie was released was our day. If it was a school night when it was released, we would get homework out of the way as soon as school was out, then head to the video store where we always had this reserved or if we were not able to reserve it and could not rent it, I always made sure to have enough money saved to be able to buy it. Then together we all make homemade pizza, then we would put blankets up over the windows to block the light, and start movie night early so that we could watch it once , maybe twice if we had enough time, and we always fell asleep all in my bed, even when they got older and it got very crowded, and 1 or 2 of them would end up in the floor beside my bed, Air Bud was one of the family and he was with us as soon as he possibly could be.

Now, Air Bud Entertainment is bringing us all another super-cute film, Pup Star. I can admit that I got all star struck because I got to meet Tiny. "gasp" You don't know who Tiny is? Tiny is only the biggest "Pup Star" to hit the big screen since Air Bud! Pup Star is not a spin off of Air Bud in case you are wondering, but it is made by Air Bud entertainment and trust me, it is just as cute, just as heart warming, as any Air Bud movie. Tiny will steal your heart..( and maybe run away with it if it smells like Milk Bone) . Do you watch the Voice? American Idol? Then you don't want to miss " Pup Star" where Tiny has a chance to get her big break. I wonder if she makes it big or will they have judges like Blake Shelton?

Pup Star will be your child's magical movie. You will see Pup Star through a child's eyes, the magical moment when reality fades and you get to live in a world of make believe and unicorns ( Or Puppy Dogs! ) . Watch your kids eye's light up and twinkle as they beg you to get them their own best friend named "Tiny" ..and grin and bare it when they try to make the hampster sing and dance when you tell them they are not old enough for a dog just yet. In select Theaters and Digital HD on August 30th..Why not make your own memories just as special as I made with my kids? Tiny and her friends truly are "Pup Stars" that will make your heart sing and your dogs dance!

Just an FYI, I was not paid in any form or fashion to promote Air Bud, Air Bud Entertainment or Pup Star. Everything written is simply my heartfelt words without any form of compensation and just to not less you miss the chance to see an amazing Memory making Movie.

So I seriously found out this week that as a society, we suck. Yes, you heard that right. Okay, so maybe I am going to far in saying "we" because on this subject, I can happily say, I am exempt, and maybe you are too.

Let's get started here, shall we. Have you ever taken an Uber ? Pretty nifty huh? How many of you have used the "pool" feature when using Uber simply because you were not in a hurry and you wanted to save a few dollars? I'll be honest here and say that I have used the "Uber Pool" but not for saving money, but because I was in a new place and I wanted to see more of the area without having to pay extra to aimlessly drive around this vast city. I wanted to see how the locals lived, not just the side of the city that typical Tourist like myself normally see. What I got to see on top of the beautiful scenery , was greed, stinginess, rudeness and pretty much disrespect.

I bet now I have you wondering, where was I? Well, before you can start speculating, it was NOT New York City. I was actually In Los Angeles. I have always heard how nice people were in California, how much they try to do things to save the environment, go green, etc and we will get to that. I have always also heard about the high cost of living in Los Angeles, and I saw that pretty much is true, so that is why I was so surprised when one of the first things I began to notice was the use of the "Uber Pool".

Do you typically tip your Taxi drivers? If not, you should. Obviously it isn't required, but if your driver gets you where you are going, is nice enough, charges you only what the meter says, and you arrive on time, then why not?

Now how about tipping your Uber Driver? Uber is basically a higher end Taxi Service, right? So when I say Higher end Taxi Service, I don't mean that you pay higher fee's to take the same ride , I actually mean you are paying lower fee's to take the same ride in a better car, usually with a much nicer and sometimes , ahem " cleaner" driver. So let me tell you about one of my experiences in the Uber Pool in Los Angeles. My Uber for 2 people from Santa Monica Pier back to L.A. Live was only going to be $9.50 ( HOLY SMOKES that was super cheap!! ) it was also rush hour, how was this driver going to make any money at that rate? I mean Uber Drivers drive their own cars, pay for their own gas, pay their own insurance, pay for their own car repairs and upkeep, yet here this driver is taking the 2 of us 23 miles during rush hour for a measly $9.50. That actually only gives the Driver $7.12 as Uber keeps the other 25 %. Then beep, beep, another lady was joining us in the Uber pool, "thank goodness"was my first thought, because this driver was seriously not even making minimum wage. I knew it would take much longer than an hour to get us back to where we were going. So here comes our new rider whom we pick up 3 blocks out of the way ( Again, we didn't mind that part because we enjoy seeing different area's and not just the tourist traps) She hopped in the car, not even a hello, but after a few minutes she did say, well I was not expecting this, I have used Uber pool for weeks and this is the first time I have ever had to share a car with more than one person and had to sit in front ( We then offered for one of us to sit in front if she preferred but she refused and went back to picking lint from her skirt which wasn't there)

At one point after 25 minutes in to the ride, she spoke up and said that at-least the car was only costing her $3.00 since she normally paid $4.83 to $4.91 for her Uber home from work each afternoon. Wait...WHAT??? $3.00? I had thought that this poor driver was at-least going to hit that Minimum wage goal I had personally set for him myself, but I guess it wasn't to be. So, 45 minutes later we drop her off, after she had the driver drive around her block three times until a spot opened up getting her closer to her door because she did not feel safe being let off at the end of the complex but only in one of the designated spots in front of her specific building. So, she was home safe & Sound from work, with front door service, and paid much less!! I bet she was Thrilled. How awesome for her! I kept expecting to see her give the driver a tip, I was personally interested in what she was tipping because I wanted to see if I had been properly tipping on my previous Uber trips that day and maybe calculate my tip a little bit on what she was tipping based on the distance he took her. Nope, nothing, Nada, no tip at all!!!! Sighs..I was being judgemental in my mind, maybe she just didn't have any cash since Uber is all done electronically except the tip. So that was when I ask the Driver, do most of your customers usually tip? That is when he tells me that he picks the same young lady up at least 3-4 times per week where she is a Senior Teller at a bank , as he is usually always in that area and she had ever given him a tip at all. As a matter of fact, he says less than 25 % of his fares ever tip him.

Maybe you think I am being judgemental here. she cold have been strapped for cash herself, supporting a ill parent or family member, or maybe she was a single mom barely making ends meet since things in L.A, typically were more expensive than where I live. So, I will tell you that eventually during this ride, she told us that she had received a nice promotion 6 months previously and was up for another promotion the next week. She was also 26, single. lived in a nice yet affordable apartment which she shared with 3 others ( It was 2 bedrooms, and a very large apartment ) and that because of the promotions and subsequent pay raises and her living situation, she was going to be able to pay cash for her dream car in less than 3 more months that cost a little more than $50,000. So, yes, I am being judgemental, give the driver a tip for goodness sake!

Not to continue to drag this situation out , SO I will briefly tell you that I decided to continue this experiment by taking Uber 5 more times over the next 24 hours, riding with 9 other passengers in those 5 times, and not once did I ever see anyone ever give the driver a tip. From younger generations to older generations to Baby Boomers...not even a Dollar. So every time a rider got out without tipping, I ask the same question, Did they tip? Do you usually receive tips? No, not usually they say. SO why do they keep driving? Uber pays more than cab companies sure, but the drivers also have much more out of pocket expenses including their own cars. Without knowing what I knew by the way, I had already tipped two previous Uber drivers $20 each based on how long it took, the distance and the fact that the fare was half of my tip did play in to what I choose to tip.

Okay, so it wasn't just Uber tippers and it wasn't just Californians to be fair. Free drinks anyone? Sure, bring it on, pour away! I saw thousands of free drinks being poured, yet out of all the Bartenders during these two nights, I saw with my own eyes that only about 1 out of every 25 left a tip. Now, I can understand that maybe you are just having a drink and you have no cash on you , but once you have that second drink, and then that third drink, how about taking your stingy ass to the ATM instead of feeling like it's your right to have free drinks and have others waiting on you.

Seeing what I saw this past week, I tended to overcompensate for others in my profession. I probably spent more last week just in tip money than I would have spent had I have purchased every meal and every drink for my husband and I . What gives anyway? Do people really think that free food, free drinks and celebrities give them the right to act like assholes to everyone else around them, especially those that are bringing them that free food or making them those free drinks or cleaning up that mess they made with all of those little Shrimp Cocktail cups and empty Hard Soda Bottles and Wine Glasses?

Why do we have to say that Black Lives Matter or Blue Lives Matter? Sure, we have heard so may say, should all lives not matter? Now, we all know I normally do not get controversial, but sometimes, we just have to speak up and let our voices be heard.

I have little cousins in my family who are mixed. I have a Brother who is a White Police Officer. Why should I have to choose? The answer is simple, I shouldn't and I won't.

I do support our Law Enforcement Officers, I do support our Firemen, Security Personnel, EMT's and our Military. Does that mean their lives are any more valuable than anyone else's ? No, but I do have respect for the very people who put their lives in danger every day to protect our lives.

When you had an accident, who did you call? I bet 9-1-1 or at least the local Non-emergency Police number. When you had a family member or friend hurt or in distress, who did you call? Again, I bet it was 9-1-1 to get help. When your car was broken in to, who did you call? What about when you felt your life in danger? The problem lies with the fact that the very people who consistently want to protest and stand for only certain lives, are usually the ones who are the first to call on the Law enforcement, EMT's and Firemen to save them. They want action taken, they want someone to help them, and then in the next breath, they demean those people who lose their lives protecting them.

Why should we have to choose which lives matter or which lives more attention should be brought too? Do we not have Black Police Officers? Do they not matter because they are Police Officers even though they are Black?

On July 23rd, 2016 at 9 p.m.. EST. I will proudly be standing with other Community members on the Henley Street Bridge to support our Law enforcement, EMT's and Firemen. Not because Black lives don't matter, Not because Blue Lives Matter, not because All Lives matter, but because these are the very people who serve and protect. We, as U.S. Citizens, don't wake up everyday and say hey, let me put my Bullet Proof Vest on this morning because I think I may try to save a life, stop a Angry mob of protesters, Save a child from a Drive By shooting. No, we don't wake up and say that, but these Men and Women, no matter their Race, don't say that either, they DO that.

I encourage other Counties, States, communities to do the same on July 23rd. Do not just make this about Blue Lives Matter, make this about supporting every Man & Woman in Uniform that without them, our Country will be in more trouble than we are in. This is your chance to say Thank You. It doesn't have to be on a Bridge, it can be anywhere that your community can hold an event like this. Don't say let's gather to say Blue Lives Matter. Say let's gather to say Thank You to the Men and women who, right now, at this very moment in our society, are more worried about saving your life than they are about their own, otherwise they would not get up and go to work each day , especially after Dallas and all the other places where Law Enforcement have been targeted.

Saving My Sanity is on the lookout for some great sponsors for BlogHer 2016 in L.A. BlogHer is the largest Conference in the world for Bloggers. I am a previous winner of the Voices of The Year award as well which is only given to one blogger per year. We have several levels of sponsorship available at great rates right now.

Gold Sponsorship: $2500 ( This covers Tickets, Travel &Hotel) We will take 1 Gold Sponsor only for BlogHer 2016, 1 Gold Sponsor for Type-A con, 1 gold Sponsor for one other conference.

What you would get as a Gold Sponsor: 1 year Banner on our site, 1 blog post per month promoting anything you would like plus we would agree to wear your branded merchandise while at BlogHer) Plus Mention in our Newsletter once a week. 24 Facebook &Twitter post & 12 Instagram post

Silver Sponsor - $1000 ( This would go towards the cost of the above items as stated)

You would receive with a Silver Sponsorship- 6 months Banner placement on our site, 6 blog post promoting your products of your choosing and we will wear your branded products at the conference. Plus a Mention in our newsletter once a week. 12 Facebook &Twitter post and 6 Instagram post We will take 2 Silver sponsors for each conference if no gold sponsors are found

Platinum Sponsor- $500

You would receive 3 months Banner placement on our site. 3 Blog post of your choosing. 6 Facebook & Twitter post and 3 Instagram post. Weekly mention for 3 months in our newsletter. We will take 5 Platinum Sponsors for each conference if no other above levels are found

Bronze Sponsor- $250

You will receive 6 weeks Banner placement on our site. 2 blog post of your choosing. 6 weeks mention in our Newsletter. 3 Facebook, 7 Twitter post and 1 Instagram post.. We will take 10 bronze sponsors per conference if not other above sponsors are secured.

Other sponsor request- Food Giftcards- Gas Gift Cards-Clothing &Fashion ( we can work out an agreement on the placement of ads, blog post & Social Media post)

Disclaimer: I received product and/or compensation in exchange for this post, however, all opinions are my own and are simply mouth watering good foods.

Most of us grew up reaching for that bottle of room temperature dressing in the condiment aisle. We probably didn’t give much thought to the preservatives in those bottles that kept them on the shelf for so long. There is a better, more delicious way to dress your veggies: with fresh tasting, refrigerated Litehouse dressing. Because real food deserves real dressing. Your family will be asking for seconds and your kids will be eating their veggies in record amounts. Cold is where it’s sold!

Why put a room temperature dressing on your delicious, crisp fresh salad? The salad is cold, so why is your salad dressing warm? For dressings as real as the salad you are putting them on - think cold, that’s where it’s sold. Make sure to look in the refrigerated section of your local supermarket for Litehouse Homestyle Ranch and Chunky Bleu Cheese dressings. Litehouse Inc. is a leader in refrigerated salad dressings, veggie dips,sauces and Instantly Fresh™ Herbs.

* If your veggies could talk, they would say no to room temperature dressings. Fresh foods deserve fresh tasting dressings that are packed with ingredients like buttermilk and real blue cheese.
*You chop, you dice, you carefully peel. And to top off your vegetables or dress your salad, reach for a cold, fresh tasting, refrigerated dressing from Litehouse, because real vegetables deserve real dressing.
* Summer time means salad season. Fresh veggies, delicious fruits and warm nights,spent enjoying outdoor meals with family and friends. To make your fresh meal burst with flavor, make something real, with something real: Litehouse dressings. In the refrigerated produce section, where real dressing should be.
* Get real this summer, with dressings as real as the salad you are putting them on.Litehouse makes delicious refrigerated dressings that can be found in the produce section – right next to other fresh and delicious veggies.
* When you shop for produce, you don’t shop in the condiment or baking aisle. You head to the refrigerated section where mouth-watering fresh veggies are brimming with color and flavor. That is where you will find Litehouse: fresh tasting, refrigerated and delicious dressings. Litehouse – see the Lite.
*On those hot summer nights, a great way to cool down is with a refreshing salad or veggie dish filled with the best seasonal ingredients. To top off your dish, reach for another cool and delicious choice – refrigerated Litehouse dressing. Cold is where it’s sold.

When Bridget ask me if I was interested in doing this project, I was like hmmmm...I have to create a meal using what equates to a salad dressing, okay, I can do this. I was not aware that Litehouse Foods carried other products but once I checked out the product line, I fell in love. I had the immediate idea of a Sriracha Lime Dressing Marinade for chicken atop a lovely salad of choice for a wonderful summer dish topped with Litehouse Homestyle Ranch Dressing. I was immediately excited. I began my search...and during my search I actually decided to try my own take on Marinating my Chicken that I thought would be amazing with the Homestyle Ranch Dressing. I think just maybe it might have worked out in my favor. I used the Litehouse Organic Balsamic Vinaigrette and then added my own take on the lime and Sriracha, this way you can add exactly the amount for you and your family so that it tickles your taste-buds.

You will want to take notes here because this will make an amazing meal for the Dad's and Grad's in your life. It would be perfect for a Father's Day menu or a Graduation Party.

I used about ¾ of the bottle of the vinaigrette with the juice of 2 limes and about 2 tablespoons of Sriracha for the marinate. We marinaded this for about 1 hour. Now, you could marinate longer and I would suggest over night for a more intense flavor. It was great, but I could see how this would be more flavorful if you marinated the Meat longer, So that is what I did my second time making this over the weekend as I was trying to perfect the meal before serving it on Father's Day for my husband and son. It ended up being simply to die for.

Hubby sparked up the grill as that was how we decided to cook the Chicken , but you could have just as easily made it blackened, baked or just about any means you wanted. Once we grilled the chicken we cut it up and served over our choices of salad.

The first time I made this, My husband loved it. I did not share with him the second time as I planned to serve this for Father's Day and wanted to make sure he was not burned out on it, so I shared with others instead. Now, Hubby loves his Caesar salad so he had his served over Caesar Salad but I substituted the Caesar for the Homestyle Ranch and tossed it just like I would Caesar. I had mine over a lettuce wedge using the theHomestyle Ranch dressing for my salad. Which by the way was Delish… and the fact that it uses Greek yogurt added some more protein to my meal as well.

Usually when trying our new recipes I get one of two responses from the hubby, it's a keeper or not , needless to say, this one was a keeper.. It is a very refreshing and easy dish for Father's Day. There is so much you could do with this combination. You could even marinate steak and do a steak salad, you could use the ranch and make an excellent Cucumber Salad as a side dish or use it in Potato Salad as opposed to mayonnaise.

The Chicken was perfect for us though and you really could serve this chicken over many things including a rice dish or use it as a sandwich filling. I was truly surprised of the varieties that my local stores do carry of the Litehouse brand and the Greek yogurt ranch was also outstanding. when I went shopping for my Litehouse food products I would need, I saw this and wanted to give it a try as well and it did not disappoint. You can also check out the website for Litehouse Foods to find the closest place to pick up a few items.

Hosting a Graduation Party? This would be the perfect meal for a party. Guest can customize the salads themselves if you set it all up Buffet style and let them choose everything from the lettuce variety to the protein they will use. Then have them top it all off with their favorite Litehouse Dressing ( There are so many to choose from that you could pick maybe 3-4 of your favorites and let them choose the one they want) We plan to serve this as our Father's Day Feast since the hubby really enjoyed this when I made it the first time. He ended up eating all the leftovers too when I had planned to save the chicken for another meal the first time. I know this is going to be a big hit with him and my son as well on Father's Day.

Now, on top of having your Father's Day or Graduation Party meal recipe, one lucky reader has an opportunity to win 2 FREE product coupons from Litehouse Foods. Once you try Litehouse, you will never go back to the other brands again, so this will be perfect since we already have you hooked on the Homestyle Ranch by now. Enter using the Giveaway tools Widget below. Some things can be done once per day, so you will want to bookmark this page so you can come back and enter daily.

Saving My Sanity is not responsible for Prize fulfillment. Litehouse foods will ship the winning reader the 2 free product coupons direct to the winner. If you have not received your prize within 8 weeks, please contact me and I will contact the sponsor.

Written byRobbie BielerGuest WriterDisclaimer: I received product and/or compensation in exchange for this post, however, all opinions are my own and are simply mouth watering good foods.